Why are you having a destination wedding?

[CanadianLindsey]

You said it perfectly!  No matter how much you dress up a church or a hall, it's just so boring!  DW are an experience, not just another Saturday night out.
 

Originally Posted by mmcst38 

I have been in 7 weddings! All exactly the same, same ceremony, same hummer limo, same country club style place, same random people invited because they worked with brides/grooms father, I could've went through all the motions wiht my eyes closed nothing was unique or personal....and no matter what no bridesmaid dress could ever be worn again...I wanted just me and my FI originally but our very close friends and family are too important not to invite, cant wait!

[MDLady]

 

 

Originally Posted by sweetness 

 

I always said since I was little that I wanted to get married on the beach at sunset and now my dream is coming true =)

 

Totally agree!!!  It beats a reception hall any day!!!

[MDLady]

I've been to so many weddings that are all the SAME..  It's like you swap the bride/groom but the rest of the weddings are the same.  It's so boring.  I could never see myself as the bride whenever I was at those weddings and while I had fun, it was just SO NOT ME.

 

My now husband is from South America so we had a perfect excuse to have a Caribbean wedding.  It would have been very expensive and difficult for his family to come but they loved the Caribbean idea!  My family was first put off by the idea but then they had a blast!  My friends were super excited because it was a perfect excuse for them to go on vacation.

[Emily11386]

Two of my good friends both got married in August of 2010.  I saw how stressed out planning made them and worried I'd be the same.  The week leading up to their weddings they were running around like crazy, stressing out instead of getting excited.  By the end they were saying they just couldn't wait for it to be over.  The day of their weddings they both spent so much time going around making sure everyone else was having fun that I don't think they really were able to relax and enjoy their day.  My fiance and I have always loved going on vacations and a destination wedding seemed more "us".  We can relax and enjoy a whole week with all of our family and close friends.  All of the important people said they would be able to attend so that is what made the final decision for us.  I can't wait!

[FutureMrzMalone]

First I would just like to say congrats to all the brides. :-) Also I am new to the website so I am still trying to figure a lot of things out, but I wanted to respond to this post. My FI and I decided to have a destination wedding because it really just felt right. Like many brides I have been to tons of weddings and they have all been the same, we wanted something COST EFFECTIVE and non-traditional. After going back and forth several times we decided the that a DW was the BEST option.

 

 

 

 

 

Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton Resort and Spa, April 18,2012

[Pucca]

I'm having a DW for a lot of the same reasons that have been mentioned in this thread. I have always wanted to get married on the beach and so I'm getting what I wanted! Furthermore, I, like many others, have been to a ton of weddings and I honestly can't remember much about most of them other than the fact that I know I went. I wanted something different, and I wanted to have a wedding where the guests feel like they really enjoyed themselves and got to interact with the bride and groom for more than just a few minutes; this meant a small wedding and other fun activities. So I just think DWs are more fun and memorable all around! 

[valsalerno]

I've actually been kind of surprised at the amount of defending that I have to do regarding the DW.  No one seems to understand that since my FH is from western Canada and I'm from NJ, one family will have to travel no matter what.  I had a friend try to convince me not to have a DW, disregarding the fact that whether we had it in NYC or Mexico, my FH's family would have to travel no matter what.  So it would still be a DW for them (and they will be at least half the wedding).

 

We chose a DW in Mexico so if people had to travel, they could make it a true vacation.  Plus our families barely know each other, so this would be a great way to get everyone together for more than just a day or two.

 

Bottom line- the people we really care about will be there with full enthusiasm.  The only downside is that will also miss some great friends too ;(

 

[Pucca]

I think that's a common theme all around - that people who really care will be there with full enthusiasm; and while it will be sad that others can't make it for one reason or another, I've decided that the bonus will be that we get to have a more intimate wedding without too much craziness. I'm in the same boat as you - my honey's family is from the East Coast and my family is from California, and considering there are more from my family needing to attend, it made more sense to do it in Mexico (ironically airfare turns out to be pretty close regardless of which side of the country people are flying in from). And like you, I wanted people to make it a true vacation instead of just popping in and out for a wedding. Everyone's pretty much on board now, but I did get a lot of questions. The questions however came mostly from family members (older family members and relatives). My friends on the other hand were thrilled. I still hear my mother-in-law muttering about why we decided to do it in Mexico but I'm blocking it out because I know that once she gets there, she will love it. 

 

I think the most important thing is to stick to your guns about why you're doing a DW and not take it personally when your guest list starts shrinking. That's what I've learned. And then just have a blast when the time comes, which for me will be in less than a month! 

 

Originally Posted by valsalerno 

I've actually been kind of surprised at the amount of defending that I have to do regarding the DW.  No one seems to understand that since my FH is from western Canada and I'm from NJ, one family will have to travel no matter what.  I had a friend try to convince me not to have a DW, disregarding the fact that whether we had it in NYC or Mexico, my FH's family would have to travel no matter what.  So it would still be a DW for them (and they will be at least half the wedding).

 

We chose a DW in Mexico so if people had to travel, they could make it a true vacation.  Plus our families barely know each other, so this would be a great way to get everyone together for more than just a day or two.

 

Bottom line- the people we really care about will be there with full enthusiasm.  The only downside is that will also miss some great friends too ;(

 

 

[lovepea]

We're having a destination cruise wedding because the location was convenient.  My family and fiance's family live opposite sides of the country.  His immediate family was already planning to go on the cruise, which leaves from the same area of Florida that my family lives in.  This way, no one has to pay for extra travel, that they weren't already planning on.  They just have to give up 1 day out of their 14-day cruise for our wedding

 

Also, I really really wanted a small intimate wedding, non-traditional, non-churchy.  We are having only the family and friends with us that we wanted to have, for a total of 28 people.  It's easier to have a tropical, casual style wedding when you are doing it somewhere warm on the ocean!

 

 

[Branya2012]

We are having a destination wedding because we met in Mexico and have always talked about going back there to get married! And once we had the vision of the ocean as the backdrop when we say our vows, there was no going back!

 

Not to mention that I agree with all of the reasons all of the other Brides have put out there. I cannot envision us getting married anywhere else in the world and I think we're getting more bang for our buck to go away to get married. It'll be so much fun on more than one day...how can you beat that?!?! Also, they basically all of the work!! And in skipping out on a traditional wedding means that we can set aside other traditional things and have our own, unique, non-traditional wedding.